Can't Run with the Big Dogs by Tracy Carter follows Veronica Kildare, the owner of Dogged Pursuit K-9, a dog training facility on the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, and Leda, her six-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever and standout search and rescue/drug detection dog.
The reader meets Veronica and Leda as they try to trace a student from a local university who is seen being abducted while walking down a sidewalk on the outskirts of Boulder. The reader is introduced to a criminal named Finnley, who is playing mind games using riddles, while claiming to have hidden the victim in the wilderness. The reader is made to understand that the search is a battle of wits between a human monster and a canine's natural talent, the latter of whom is framed as an infallible sensor. The reader can't wait for Leda to hit the trail and prove that the kidnapper's arrogance is no match for her nose.
The story then introduces Tommy Arnett, Veronica's lethal antagonist and the cause of indescribable trauma and grief in her life. Veronica recalls her previous career as a legal assistant for a county prosecutor in Ohio. Tommy was served with a restraining order but chose to kill the prosecutor, several of Veronica's co-workers, and her fiancé. But thanks to Leda, Veronica survived a gunshot wound and became the principal witness against him in his trial. Tommy recently broke out of the Ohio State Penitentiary and has killed even more people along his path to Veronica. Unlike Finnley, Tommy is a mass murderer, and he is cunning to the level where he even stages his own death. The reader knows that every moment Veronica and Leda spend on a search or a rescue mission is borrowed time, and that when Tommy finally strikes, he will be aiming at her very soul.
Carter emerges as a master in foreshadowing. For example, she makes repeated references to Tommy's survival, planting seeds for a possible return in later chapters of the book. And by stating that Veronica felt her insides churning with "the same pent-up anxiety that comes right before the roller coaster car plunges from its lofty peak to the bottom of the sickeningly steep hill," she effectively transforms Veronica's dread into a universally recognized physical experience, making the reader feel her helplessness and stomach-dropping plunge. Carter's world is not small; rather, it encompasses multiple threats operating simultaneously. By so doing, she shows that the protagonist's work never ends, ensures that her professional reputation is established through action, and that her assistant, Michael's skills, like Leda's, are not limited to a single domain. Readers will appreciate the power, the detail, and the significance she gives to small moments, such as in a chase where she doesn't just mention the chase, but also the gravel, which scatters like buckshot from beneath speeding tires. This great storytelling aspect mirrors the difference between reading about a meal and tasting it. That detail, among others, pulls readers deeper into the emotional experience while making them feel they are in the able hands of a writer who knows exactly what she is doing.
It is remarkable how Veronica's world is populated with a rich cast of supporting characters--each of whom is carefully crafted with distinct personalities, motivations, and roles. They include the aforementioned Michael, whose criminal justice training makes him effective in crisis, and Bob, Veronica's father, a thinker whose methodical approach readers will appreciate. Others include Tim, Ricardo, and Jenna, who do not emerge as mere decoration but as able pillars upon which the novel's resolution rests.
Quill says: With this story, readers will understand that multiple plot lines, full character arcs, and thematic development need space. The book's length helps develop all of these elements, while allowing it to deliver everything it promised at the beginning, including compelling mystery and thrilling action. The words by the protagonist, "Good riddance and burn in hell," point to a story that leaves readers satisfied after a journey that ends with hard-earned peace for a heroine and well-deserved judgement for a villain. This book is a must-read for fans of character-driven mysteries, especially those who love stories about the unbreakable bond between humans and their dogs.
For more information about Can't Run with the Big Dogs, please visit the author's website at: tracycarterbooks.com/
